Family seeks tougher laws to protect first responders

In the small community of Glendale where downtown stretches just two blocks, flags are flying at half staff. Businesses display pictures of a smiling young man, and the volunteer fire department is draped in black.

Lt. Jonathan French, 25, was killed Wednesday morning. He was one of the first to respond to a van on fire along Interstate 65 when he was hit and killed by a big rig.

Glendale's fire chief and French's uncle, Richard Peters, held a news conference Tuesday to thank the community for their support.

"Keep praying for the family, for the fire department," he said, standing alongside two of French's sisters and several of his firefighters.

The station's two trucks were damaged in the crash and are out of commission, but Peters said his department has made the decision to take two weeks off. He said when his men and women do get back on the truck it will be to honor his nephew.

"We're just antsy to get back on the trucks, and we feel like that's what Jonathan would want us to do, not sitting around and watching someone else take care of what he loved to do," Peters said.

Peters said Tuesday he was grateful for the support, including hundreds of firefighters who came from as far away as California to give his nephew a proper sendoff.

"It very humbling, and it touched everyone. It's images none of us will ever forget, to see what we saw," he said of Monday's funeral and procession.

But Peters wants those firefighters and other first responders protected. With an online push called Shut It Down on Facebook, he's calling for interstate highways to be shut down during any type of emergency for any length of time.

"Until Wednesday morning, no one even knew the name Jonathan French. Now, he is well-known across the nation, and hopefully, his name will be the one that makes a difference," he said.

The Glendale Fire Department had just one lieutenant, Jonathan French. The chief said the department will retire French's number and will likely never name another lieutenant.

For now, until the men and women at Glendale get back to work, neighboring fire departments are handling their calls.

French's mother Lisa, also a volunteer firefighter, was injured Wednesday morning. She has been released from the hospital but is scheduled to undergo several more surgeries on her right leg in the coming days.

THE LINE OF DUTY. TONIGHT, FRIENDS AND FAMILY COMING TOGETHER THANKING THE COMMUNITY FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND VOWING HIS DEATH WILL NOT BE IN VAIN. WLKY'S LAUREN ADAMS JOINS US NOW WITH MORE. LAUREN? TOMORROW MARKS ONE WEEK SINCE 25 YEAR OLD JONATHAN FRENCH ANSWERED THE CALL THAT WOULD BE HIS LAST. HE WAS KILLED WHILE BATTLING A VAN FIRE ON I-65. NOW HIS FIRE CHIEF, WHO ALSO HAPPENS TO BE HIS UNCLE, WANTS BETTER PROTECTION FOR FIRST RESPONDERS. LA: IN THE SMALL COMMUNITY OF GLENDALE, THE FLAGS ARE NOW AT HALF STAFF.....nat bells in business door....THE COMMUNITY OF SEVERAL HUNDRED IN MOURNING....AND A FIRE DEPARTMENT, CRIPPLED- GRIEVING THE LOSS OF ONE OF THEIR OWN. 6740 rp 18:14:41 keep praying for the family, for the fire department LA: A FIRE DEPARTMENT THAT HAS NOT TAKEN A SINGLE CALL SINCE THE ONE 25 YEAR OLD JONATHAN FRENCH ANSWERED EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. FRENCH IS WORKING A VEHICLE FIRE WHEN HE IS HIT AND KILLED BY A SEMI TRUCK. GLENDALE'S CHIEF AND FRENCH'S UNCLE, RICHARD PETERS SAYS HIS DEPARTMENT IS TAKING 2 WEEKS OFF BEFORE GETTING BACK ON THE TRUCK. BUT SAYS WHEN THEY DO, IT'LL BE TO HONOR HIS NEPHEW: 6740 rp 18:15:03 we're just antsy to get back on the trucks and we feel like that's what jonathan would want us to do. Not sitting around and watching someone else take care of what he loved to do. 18:15:11 LA: CHIEF PETERS SAYS HE'S GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT...6740 rp 18:16:32 a thousand thank you cards isn't enough...INCLUDING HUNDREDS OF FIREFIGHTERS WHO CAME FROM AS FAR AWAY FROM CALIFORNIA TO GIVE HIS NEPHEW A PROPER SENDOFF: 6740 rp 18:18:07 it was very humbling and it touched everyone. Its images none of us will ever forget, to see what we saw. LA: BUT HE WANTS THOSE FIREFIGHTERS AND OTHER FIRST RESPONDERS PROTECTED. WITH AN ONLINE PUSH......6740 rp 18:13:51 it's shut it down, it's on facebook.....PETERS HOPES TO SHUT DOWN INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS, LIKE THE ONE JONATHAN FRENCH WAS ON WEDNESDAY MORNING, DURING ANY TYPE OF EMERGENCY, FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME: 6740 rp 18:18:22 for a small town country boy to get that attention.until Wednesday morning no one even knew the name jonathan French. Now he's well known across the nation and hopefully his name will be the one that makes a difference. THE GLENDALE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS JUST ONE LIEUTENANT, THAT WAS JONATHAN FRENCH. THE CHIEF TELLS ME THE DEPARTMENT WILL RETIRE HIS NUMBER, 2503 AND WILL LIKELY NEVER NAME ANOTHER LIEUTENANT. FOR NOW, UNTIL THE MEN AND WOMEN AT GLENDALE GET BACK TO WORK NEIGHBORING FIRE DEPARTMENTS ARE HANDLING THEIR CALLS. I'M LAUREN ADAMS, WLKY NEWS. THANKS LAUREN. FRENCH'S MOTHER LISA, ALSO A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER, WAS INJURED WEDNESDAY MORNING. SHE HAS BEEN RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL, BUT IS SCHEDULED TO UNDERGO SEVERAL MORE SURGERIES ON HER RIGHT LEG IN THE COMING DAYS.

The Obama administration will unveil a major climate change plan Monday aimed at a large reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the nation's coal-burning power plants, a senior administration official told CNN.